Thill-coupling.



UNITED STATES Patented octoberges, 1904.

PATENT OFFrcE.

LEVERETT A. MANWARING,OF LEONARD BRIDGE, CONNECTICUT, AS- SIGNOR OF ONE-HALF To WILBUR L: L. SPENCER, OF LEBANON,

CONNECTICUT.

THl'LL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 773,082, dated October 25, 1904.

I Application filed July 6, 1904. .Serial No. 215,507. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVERETT A. MANWAR ING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leonard Bridge, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Thill- Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

The chief aim of my present invention is to provide extremelysimple, cheap, and strong means for connecting the chills or pole of a vehicle to the running-gear, my said device being of such a character that the thills'or pole (as the case may be) may be instantly disconnected from the running-gear without the aid of a wrench or other implement.

My said invention is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of my new thill-coupling, showing opposite sides of the 7 same and also illustrating the manner of conthills of a vehicle;

necting the coupling to the front axle and Fig. 8 is a relatively enlarged view of the said coupling as viewed from the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1. Figs. 1 and 5 are inner face views of the two companion parts of the coupling, and Figs. 6 and 7 are edge views of the same parts.

Referring to the drawings, the letter a indicates the axle of a vehicle, and the letter 6 ber d is of disk form and is provided with a central projection d upon which is mounted a washer 0Z of rawhide or the like yielding material, that is partially seated in a circular.

depression CF. The companion member 0 of the-coupling is also of disk form and is provided with a central openingc, adapted to receive the described projection 03 and also with a depression 0 that is adapted to receive the washer d when'the coupling parts are assembled for use. Disk (Z is formed with a post or extension- (1*, whose free end portion is turned inwardthat is to say, toward the pro- I jection d and is adapted to hook over the 5 edge of the member 0 when the parts are assembled. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) The coupling member 0 is likewise provided with a post or extension 0 whose free end is turned inward' to hook over the edge of disk cl when the coup- 5 5 ling parts are assembled, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

In order to assemble the described coupling members, I have notched the edge of disk (Z,

spondingly notched the disk 0, as at 0, to receive the hook (F and have alsojcut away the edges of disks (2 and 0, as at d and 0 in order that the said disks may rock upon each as at d to receive the hook c and have come other a limited distance without engaging the 5 posts 0? 0 The notches and hooks which I have just described are so located with respect I to each other that the notch of one disk coincides with the hook of the. other disk when the coupling parts are in proper position for 7 assembling, and the said notches and posts are so located with respect to the thills that the latter must be raised to a point considerably above their operative or working position in order to assemble or disengage the coupling parts. This will be best understood by reference to the Figs. 1 and 2, in which the thills are shown in working position.

In order to release the thills from the running-gear, it will be obvious; that the thills must be raised a distance sufficient to bring the posts d 0 into coincidence with the notches 0 d5, respectively, when the thills and attached coupling members d may be moved laterally a distance sufficient to withdraw the central 5 remain in their working position the coupling 9 parts cannot be separated from each other; but by simply elevating the thills a short distance the interlocking parts to wit, the hooks.

d c and the cooperating edges of disks 0 and dmay be readily disconnected.

The yielding washer 0Z which I have referred to, should preferably be of such thickness that it will be slightly compressed when the coupling parts are assembled and interlocked, thus preventing the rattling of the parts. I preferably provide on the disk 0 a raised flange 0, which serves as a sand-band when the disks are assembled. In Fig. t of the drawings this sand-band is illustrated at the lower side of disk 0; but when the said disk is reversed and mounted on the companion disk d the sand-band will be located at the top side of said disk 0, as seen in Fig. 1.

My described device requires but two simply-constructed metallic parts and is of such a nature that it provides the needed strength with the minimum weight of material. It may be readily operated without the use of tools and will be found particularly convenient for use in that class of vehicles with which both thills and a pole are interchangeably used.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- In combination in a thill-coupling, companion disks. means for supporting said disks in concentric relation to each other, a yielding washer located between the said disks, a sandband carried by one of said disks, and means for preventing accidental separation of the said disks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEVEREI" A. MAN\VARlN(-l.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. ALLEN, MAY F. RITCHIE. 

